On the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, several teams and drivers continued their preparations for the upcoming season. Here’s a detailed recap of the day’s events:

The day began with cars hitting the track for morning testing, but the session was cut short after just over an hour and a half due to an incident involving Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Leclerc ran over a loose drain cover, prompting officials to halt the session for safety inspections.

While the Ferrari team worked on replacing the damaged floor of Leclerc’s SF24, it was eventually decided to end the morning session early to allow for repairs to be completed. An additional hour was allocated to the afternoon session to make up for the lost track time.

Despite the shortened morning session, Charles Leclerc’s best time held firm through the additional hour of afternoon testing. However, it was his teammate Carlos Sainz who eventually topped the timesheets. Sainz set a blistering lap time of 1:29.921 on the red-walled C4 tires, comfortably ahead of the competition.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton briefly jumped to second place behind Sainz with a lap time of 1:31.066, but he was later bumped down to third by Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez. Pérez clocked in a time of 1:30.679, showcasing strong performance despite earlier brake problems that limited his morning running.

McLaren’s Lando Norris secured the fourth position on the timesheet, while Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth. Ricciardo set a best time of 1:31.361 using the C4 compound tires.

Charles Leclerc, who caused the morning session to end prematurely, ended the day in sixth place overall with a time of 1:31.750.

Other notable performances included Lance Stroll of Aston Martin in seventh, Esteban Ocon of Alpine in eighth, and Valtteri Bottas of Sauber in ninth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri rounded out the top 10.

Logan Sargeant of Williams completed the most laps of the day, logging an impressive total of 117 laps around the Sakhir circuit.

Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Zhou Guanyu of Stake F1 Team, Pierre Gasly of Alpine, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Nico Hulkenberg of Haas, and Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull Racing Visa Cash App completed the lineup.

Overall, the second day of pre-season testing provided teams with valuable data as they continue to fine-tune their cars ahead of the upcoming Formula 1 season. With competitive lap times and significant mileage covered, anticipation for the new season continues to build among fans and teams alike.